1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an Internet system and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for compiling copyright/patent/license infringements and violations.
2. Description of the Background
Worldwide software piracy losses are estimated at the present time to typically run well above $10.0 billion dollars annually. Numerous laws discourage and prohibit software piracy such as worldwide copyright and patent laws, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the World Intellectual Property Organization Copyright Treaty, and the No Electronic Theft Act. Additionally contract laws creating licenses specify the rights and duties of the parties involved. Music and multimedia piracy losses are not included in the above figures. As well, those figure do not include improper use such as unauthorized alteration of programs.
Methods, systems, and procedures are well known for making software or digitized information more difficult to copy. However, such devices often interfere with the ease of operation and reliability of operation. Reliable software is very important for many applications. Moveover, these methods do not compile evidence or give any indication of the software or digitized information that is copied or altered. Thus, when such methods of preventing copying are circumvented, there is no record or indication that is readily determinable that copying has occurred. As well, there is significant motivation to overcome these copy prevention techniques because the software or other digitized information does not operate when the copy prevention system is triggered. In some cases, the copy prevention system sometimes interferes with program operation, e.g., requires an original cd rom in the cd rom drive.
While the law is generally sufficient for enforcement, and may include rather harsh criminal penalties that depend upon the particular country in which a violation occurs, it is often difficult to locate and find evidence of pirating. If the location and parties could be determined, and the evidence accumulated, then the piracy could be pursued by either civil law or by notification of governmental authorities for criminal prosecution procedures.
While perhaps no measure is 100% foolproof, each system and method has its place and use. It would be desirable to be able to find the location, number of computers, type of violation, and the like. Those skilled in the art have long sought and will appreciate the present invention which addresses these and other problems.